The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (2024)

The Best Ginger Snaps. Thin crispy spiced cookies with plenty of warm ginger flavour. Just a Ziploc bag is all you need to decorate them for the Holidays too.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (1)

Cookies with royal icing decoration.

Today’s ginger snaps recipe comes to you courtesy of the ladies of the household. Spouse loves anything ginger and this is her recipe for crispy ginger snaps, one of the most perfect coffee or tea cookies.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (2)

Ginger is such a warm, comforting spice.

Number 1 kid dressed them up for Christmas with some simple snowflake designs. The designs were piped on using royal icing in a simple Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (3)

Ginger snaps

So, no special decorating equipment is required. It’s another great recipe for the Christmas freezer or at any time of year.

Looking for more Christmas baking ideas. We have a whole collection of our Fan Favourite Christmas Baking Recipes.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (4)

Best Christmas Baking Recipes

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The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (5)

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The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (6)
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Originally published December 2015. Updated November 2019 to provide nutritional information and a new printable recipe page.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (7)

Yield: 24 three inch cookies

The Best Ginger Snaps

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes

The Best Ginger Snaps - thin crispy spiced cookies with plenty of warm ginger flavor. Just a Ziploc bag is all you need to decorate them for the Holidays too.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp ginger
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses

FOR THE ROYAL ICING

  • 1 large egg white
  • About 1 1/4 cups icing sugar, powdered sugar icing sugar (powdered sugar)
  • pinch cream of tartar

Instructions

  1. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and set aside.
  2. Cream together the shortening, butter, sugars and molasses until light and fluffy.
  3. Fold in the dry ingredient mixture until a soft dough forms.
  4. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until the dough is well chilled.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  6. Roll out to about 1/8 of an inch or a little thicker.
  7. Use cookie cutters to cut out the cookies and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 15-18 minutes depending upon the size of your cookies. The cookies pictured were made using a 3 inch cookie cutter and took about 17 minutes. You don't want to under bake them or they will not be crispy.
  9. Store in airtight containers. Freezes well.

TO MAKE THE ROYAL ICING

  1. Beat together the egg white, cream of tartar and about 1 cup of the icing sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the remaining icing sugar a tablespoon at a time until the icing reaches a spreadable consistency.
  3. Use a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off to draw on snowflake patterns.

Notes

Nutritional information calculated for undecorated cookies.

Recommended Products

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

Nutrition Information

Yield

24

Serving Size

24 3 inch cookies

Amount Per ServingCalories 137Saturated Fat 2gCholesterol 5mgSodium 160mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 1gSugar 11gProtein 1g

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The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between ginger snaps and ginger cookies? ›

Introduced in colonial times, the main differences between Gingerbread and Ginger Snaps are a longer bake time for an extra crisp and the use of molasses versus sugar. Molasses was used as substitute for sugar as it was the more affordable alternative to sweetening.

Why are my ginger snaps soft? ›

Measure Your Flour Correctly to Ensure Gingersnaps are CRISPY! To avoid ending up with Gingersnaps that are thick and chewy instead of perfectly crispy, make sure to measure your flour accurately with a digital scale. It's all too easy to accidentally add too much flour if you're using cups.

Why won t my ginger cookies crack? ›

Molasses cookie dough won't have those signature cracks on top if the dough is too wet. The cracks happen when the surface of the dough dries up. Rolling in sugar really helps this because the sugar binds the moisture and dries out the dough.

Why are my ginger snap cookies flat? ›

Too little flour and too much sugar are often the source of flat cookies, so measure carefully and accurately by using dry measuring spoons and cups for dry ingredients (so that you can spoon the ingredients into them and sweep away the excess) and use cups with pouring spouts for liquids.

Why are my ginger cookies so hard? ›

“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

Who made the original ginger snap cookies? ›

Gingersnaps have been enjoyed for centuries. In fact, the early versions of these spiced cookies were likely invented by medieval monks in Germany as early as the 13th century. The recipes were passed down through the generations and found their way to America with the early colonists.

Why are my ginger snaps puffy? ›

A whole egg (rather than just the yolk) gives the cookie some levity (/puffiness) while keeping the cookie nice and tender. A blend of baking powder and baking soda (rather than just soda)

Do ginger snaps settle your stomach? ›

Will ginger candy soothe an upset stomach? Yes, ginger in ANY form will do that.

Can ginger snaps go bad? ›

Unopened commercial gingersnap cookies can last up to 2-3 months past the date printed on their package, thanks to the added preservatives. Once opened, they should be consumed within 1-2 weeks for the best taste and texture, but you will usually have up to a month before noticing a stale flavor.

How do you know when ginger cookies are done? ›

Toothpick Test – This is one of the most common ways to check cookie doneness, and it can be used for many other desserts as well. Insert a toothpick into the centre of a cookie. If it comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, the cookies are done.

How to get cracks in ginger cookies? ›

The best way to get crinkles on the top is to take the cookies out of the oven when cooked. While they are still soft, use a fork and flatten them slightly. Perfect crinkles every time.

Are ginger cookies unhealthy? ›

Ginger cookies can be high in sugar and fat content. Ginger cookies fall into the category of "empty calories," according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines. You should consume empty calorie foods in moderation.

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

How do you make cookies rise more? ›

Baking Powder. The type of leavening you use in your cookies doesn't just help them rise while baking, it affects their texture and structure too. Baking soda in cookies yields a denser cookie with craggy tops, while baking powder causes cookies to rise higher during baking for a cakier texture.

How do you make cookies fluffy instead of flat? ›

Try using baking powder instead of baking soda. Baking soda encourages spreading while baking powder puffs the cookies up. If your recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking soda, you would use 3 to 4 teaspoons of baking powder.

What is the difference between ginger snaps and spiced wafers? ›

The difference is that their ginger snaps contain "ginger" while their spiced wafers contain "spices". Never having had the ginger snaps, I'd suspect the spiced wafers are also crisper.

What is another name for ginger snaps? ›

The gingersnap is also known as a "ginger nut," especially in the U.K. It's a sweet, brittle cookie that's flavored with plenty of ginger and often other spices like cinnamon, cloves, or nutmeg, and baked in small rounds.

Why is ginger snaps so good? ›

Ginger Snaps is a great werewolf movie because it has a unique take on the genre. It follows two teenage sisters who are dealing with the physical and emotional changes that come with the onset of puberty, and how those changes can be exacerbated by a werewolf curse.

What is a substitute for ginger snaps? ›

*If you don't have gingersnaps, you can use graham crackers, but add in a 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 3/4 tsp ground ginger and a pinch of black pepper to give them some spice!

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